Catching Cole

Chapter Five

f**k f**k Fuckity f**k. This is what was going through my brain. How is it possible that the no-strings-attached guy that I spent the last twelve-ish hours with is the investor on this project? I sat in my seat staring at my giant cappuccino and allowed the table talk to wash over me. Cole was interjecting and answering questions here and there, but I felt his eyes on me occasionally. I knew this was a shock to him as well. Why did I take Vivienne’s advice whilst on a work conference in Chicago? I wanted to bang my head against a wall. 

I had no other option. I had to put my big girl panties on and pretend like it didn’t happen. We promised each other no strings, so the fact we were now in a semi-working environment together, shouldn’t make a difference - we should continue normally. And, let’s be honest, there was probably very little work that he would be around for, he was just the investor, not a project manager or anything like that. I blew out a breath I wasn’t even aware I was holding and focussed on the current conversation. 

“Pratt! How did you not know about the gala event? I mean I sent you the itinerary so you could pack accordingly!” Jeanette implored. 

Pratt’s cheeks were starting to turn red and he sunk a little further into himself. Jumping to my friend’s rescue, I said, “The way I see it, you’ve just found an excuse to go shopping,” I threw in a wink for good measure. 

Pratt looked visibly relieved. 

“Thank you! Thank God someone is thinking clearly, Sadie you’re a lifesaver,” Jeanette spoke, her nerves jangling. 

As the waiters brought breakfast to the table, Jeanette turned to me and rattled off. 

“What are you wearing tonight? Please tell me I can count on you to actually represent the team and not look like a dog’s breakfast?” She peered closer at me and continued, “My God, why do you look so tired. I swear I need an extra cup of coffee just looking at you!” 

Cole discreetly cleared his throat, and I swear he was trying not to laugh. It was grossly unfair that he didn’t look sleep deprived when we had both experienced the same lack of sleep. 

“Firstly, my dress is killer. And secondly, jet lag and deadlines are a thing, excuse me if I don’t have my botox guy on speed dial,” I raised an eyebrow at her. 

“Fine, fine,” she raised her hands in surrender. Just do us all a favour and take an afternoon nap before the gala.” 

“I don’t think you look that bad,” Josh butted in. I suppress my eye-roll. While I appreciated his attempt at saving me, the guy had no idea how to actually be sauve. 

“What you should be saying Josh,” Jacques intervened, “is that Sadie looks ravishing as always, and if lacking sleep is something she’s into, then I would only be too happy to oblige.” He waggled his eyebrows in a mock pick-up tone. The thing about Jacques is that he was a flaming gay guy with an adorable fiance. 

I scrunched up my face, and heard Cole clear his throat once more. “Do those kind of lines actually work for you?” 

“I wouldn’t know darling, I’ve never needed a line.” Jacques replied. 

“Oh Jesus, is it too much to ask that we don’t bring drug and sexually inappropriate innuendo to the table while our investor is here,” Jeanette implored, raising her hands in the direction of Cole. In fact, I almost felt sorry for him. 

Cole and I laughed outright. 

“For the record, what is sexually appropriate innuendo?” Pratt asked. 

“I work with a bunch of children,” Jeanette said, pulling out a cigarette. 

“In fairness, we’re a bunch of creatives thrown together, what did you expect to happen?” I asked, supressing my giggle. 

“Well,” Cole spoke, addressing all of us, “no one would want to play a game written by boring, wholly appropriate people. It’s because of this dynamic that the fun stuff will come out, and I guess later we can cull anything we deem ‘off-sides’”. 

“Thank you!” Jeannette replied, oozing charm, “You just reminded me why I hired this lot in the first place.” 

“Don’t be like that Jeanette,” Pratt said, “You love us.” 

Most of my day was actually spent in the darkened conference room working with Pratt and Josh as we rehashed character creation, game play development and tweaking of animated descriptions. The quiet moments were filled with flashbacks from the night before, and everytime I shifted in my chair, the dull soreness that remained, reminded me of Cole’s talents and what it felt like to have him inside me. 

Josh arranged for tacos to be delivered to the conference room for lunch, so we could continue working, which suited me perfectly because not only could I avoid Cole, it meant that I could clock off earlier and actually fit in a nap before the gala event. 

Giving myself a last once over before leaving my room, I tried to remind myself not to fidget. The emerald green dress set off my pale complexion nicely. It showed a hint of cleavage, and had a killer slit that showed off my leg when I walked. I loved the fact that it wasn’t obvious, making it more sophisticated than slutty. My hair was in a neat chignon, and I wore my makeup a bit thicker than usual, with a smokey eye and red lips. 

When I entered the ballroom, the sheer size of the event set me at ease. With so many people at this event, it would be easy to avoid Cole. I just needed to keep this up for the next two days and then I would be on a plane back to Luxembourg filling in Vivienne on my sexapades. 

David, Jeanette’s boss stood at the bar, beckoning me over. I plastered a smile on my face and walked towards him. When David wanted to chat, you obliged, because at the end of the day it didn’t matter how much Jeanette adored me, Dave was the one who signed my paycheques. 

“Sadie, you look beautiful as always,” he implored, “there’s someone I want to introduce you to,” he motioned to the man standing next to him who was currently facing the bar. 

As he turned around, I was introduced once more to Cole’s spectacular face.

At this point I was sure that the universe was conspiring against me. I found myself plastering a polite smile on my face and saying boldly, “Oh I had the pleasure of meeting Cole this morning for our team breakfast.” 

David’s face fell a little, as if he wanted to be the one to make the introduction. I wasn’t completely oblivious to the misogyny that was David. Everytime he wanted to make an impression on someone, I was the little pawn he pulled out. It was sort of like ‘look here - I have a female on my team - and she’s easy on the eyes’. And yet, I accepted it each time, because I knew where my bread was buttered and wanted to stay on the project. In allowing this, was I inherently continuing the cycle? Feminists would be appalled. Some days I was even appalled, but I didn’t really know how to stop the cycle, without it impacting my income. And therein lay the problem. 

“This morning?” Cole asked, “I swear you look so familiar, it’s as if I’ve met you before.” The mischievous glint in his eye told me that the game was afoot. 

“Really? I would hope not. Otherwise you didn’t leave a very memorable impression.” Liar my conscience whispered at me. His eyes flared in irritation. 

“Challenge accepted milady,” he bowed down with a flourish. 

David excused himself, ‘allowing’ us to get acquainted. Although there was a crowd of people at the bar, we were alone in every sense that counted. 

“You sure know how to dent a guy’s ego,” Cole muttered, sipping on his beer. I indicated to the bar keep that I would like to order, they motioned that they would be over soon. Which left me to deal with Cole. I eventually made eye contact  with him and gave up, “You weren’t supposed to be the investor on my project,” I implored. And damn it, but he smiled at me in a way that made me want a repeat of last night. 

“I didn’t foresee this either sweetheart, but I like to think that fate dealt me a good hand.” 

“A good hand?” I asked him, “Seriously, we agreed that there were no strings attached! And now you think the fact that we work together is a ‘good hand’”. 

“Cole,” some random guy called from down the bar in greeting. Cole lifted a hand in response, turned back towards me and lowered his voice, “Yes. When I walked out of your hotel room this morning, I was regretful that we wouldn’t get a repeat experience, and yet, here we are, two adults standing at a bar, with an undeniable attraction towards each other.” 

I ground my teeth as he leaned in further and whispered in my ear, “Did you have flashbacks from last night the same way I did?” His breath on my neck was already causing my n*****s to harden. I spun on my heel in anger and stormed away. I needed space. Maybe I could simply find which table I was seated at and go there. 

And as luck would have it, there was no one seated at our table as I plonked myself down, arranging the skirts of my dress. I could literally count the seconds before a fellow story boarder named Tim sat at the table. 

“How is it possible that you, beautiful Sadie, are sitting here by yourself.” Tim was full of it, and had been hitting on me for the best part of a year. The irony was that if he didn’t try so hard, and come off quite so condescending, I might have given him a chance. Well that and if I were open to having a relationship. 

“Sadie darling,” Cole spoke smoothly, sliding into the seat beside me, “I brought you your drink,” he said matter of factly. s**t, I had forgotten I was waiting to order a drink. Looking at the shock on Tim’s face, I decided to play along. “Thanks love,” I batted my eyelashes at Cole,”what did you get me?” 

It spoke to Cole’s character that he didn’t look at me with shock, irritation or surprise. In fact, he continued our conversation, without missing a beat. “Amaretto and lime on the rocks.” I had to give it to him - the man was good. I smiled and took a sip of my drink as Cole and Tim made awkward introductions, causing Tim to casually excuse himself.

Before Cole and I could continue our conversation, the lights dimmed slightly, with an elderly gentleman announcing that the introductions and order of festivities would begin, and could everyone head to their allotted tables. Not surprisingly, Jeanette was seated at our table. What was surprising though was that she had found a much younger man, who was clinging to her. Her normally perfectly coiffed hair was standing at an odd angle, and if I was a betting kind of person, I would say the two of them had just stumbled out of a supply closet somewhere. 

As the lights dimmed even further, and the welcome speech well underway, I felt Cole’s hand slide up along my thigh underneath the table. He angled himself so it would appear as if two acquaintances were talking. “All I’m saying Sadie, is that we could easily extend our experience to a little longer", he whispered, not drawing any attention to us. I was struggling to concentrate with his hand on my thigh, and I’m pretty sure he knew that. 

“How much longer?” I asked softly. 

His hand stilled for a moment, and then he replied, “How about the duration of the project?”

“What about no strings?” I demanded. 

Suddenly the room erupted in applause, and I soon felt myself clapping along to everyone else as the speaker exited the stage.

“There don’t have to be strings. We can keep this private so no one in the team knows,” he seemed almost desperate. 

“Okay.”

“Okay?” He asked. 

“Yeah, okay. I just don’t do relationships,” I reminded him. 

“So you’ve said.” 

For the rest of the evening I stayed seated next to him with his hand on my thigh, hovering close to my core. He arranged for our drinks to be brought to our table (apparently being an investor in multiple businesses had its perks), and was true to his word in maintaining conversation in a way that ensured that no one knew we were together. 

And when the night was winding down, and I was biding my farewells, I felt his presence behind me as he spoke into my ear, “I’ll meet you in your room in thirty minutes, I just need to finish my conversation with Dave.” I mumbled my agreement and turned to leave, before he grabbed my hand and pulled me back towards him. “I haven’t forgotten the challenge you laid out Sadie. I’ll make sure tonight is more memorable than last night.” And with that, he let me go. I was in trouble.