In The Clutches Of The Billionaire

Chapter Four

Colin

I don't know what kind of spell that woman at the bar cast on me, I just know that, for the first time, the medicine the psychologist prescribed for me had no effect. I couldn't sleep at all last night and it wasn't the memories of my past that were to blame, but rather hers, who decided to torment my mind, even in my dreams.

This is crazy, I know! I had never seen her before, never. Out of nowhere this woman appears and, in some way that I can't explain, I spend the whole night thinking about her. And, as if that weren't enough, during the very short time I was able to sleep, I dreamed about her.

But what the f**k is happening to me?

I'm dead tired, but it's dawn and I need to get up, because responsibility calls. I still have to pick up Jason at the airport before I go to work.

I get up, take a quick shower, put on one of my many work suits, put on some perfume and comb my hair back. I grab my car keys from the table next to my bed, put my cell phone in my pocket, check the time on my wristwatch to make sure I'm not running late, and leave the house.

I'm on my way to the airport when I get a call from Zoe. I press the button on the tablet that is connected to my cell phone in the car, on the car dashboard holder, answering it.

"Yes."

"Good morning, Mr. Campbell. Will it take a while to arrive?"

"A little, I have to pick up my friend at the airport. Is there a problem?", I hear her clear her throat.

"Forgive me, sir... But due to the agony of these days, I ended up forgetting to ask for your signature on the documents that need to be sent to your partners today."

"Damn!" I mutter very quietly so she doesn't hear and punch the steering wheel.

It's not her fault the company has been a mess these past three months.

"I'm really sorry, sir. I only remembered earlier, thanks to Manuela." refers to our receptionist.

I notice how embarrassed Zoe is.

"It's okay, Zoe. It's not your fault. I'm on my way to the company, don't worry." Without giving him time to respond, I end the call and make a quick maneuver, changing my destination.

Jason will kill me if I'm late and keep him waiting, but I had no choice, if I didn't do it, it would just be another reason for my father's talk. And I'm definitely not in the mood for that.

In a matter of minutes I arrived at the company, luckily it wasn't far away. I park the car anyway, as I don't intend to take long and, as I enter the building, I send a message to Jason, informing him of the reason for my delay. He's going to be pissed.

I get out of the elevator, arriving at the presidential floor.

"Good morning, Manuela," I greet our receptionist, "Please ask Zoe to come to my office." I ask as I put my cell phone in my pants pocket.

"Yes sir."

I enter my room and sit on the chair behind the table and after that, I hear a knock on the door.

"Between." Zoe opens the door and comes to me.

"Here, sir." She shows where I should sign on her tablet, I quickly do so.

“Have you started the interviews yet?” I ask, a little nervous about this.

"Yes, I've already interviewed a few, but there's still one left. I don't think it will be long.”

"Okay! I want to be up to date with everything, remember our last candidates, so I don't plan on getting ahead of myself this time." She nods her head in agreement.

We are interrupted by knocks on the door and Manuela opens it ajar, only putting her head inside.

"Sorry to interrupt you, but the last candidate for the position has just arrived, Zoe." We are both looking towards the door.

“It’s okay, Manu. I’m coming.”

"Remember what I told you, please...", I say after we are alone again.

"Don't worry, sir. I'm sure we'll find the perfect person for the job today." answer me with determination.

"I trust you. I'm just going to organize a few more things and I'm on my way, call me for anything." I finish the signatures and she leaves my room.

I don't know how much time has passed, as I ended up taking the opportunity to resolve other issues relating to the company, but I see that I'm at the last minute when my cell phone rings and I see Jason's name on the screen, I decide not to answer it, I just leave it ringing and I I hurry to leave. Before I pick him up, I stop by the cafeteria to get some coffee, because due to a bad night's sleep, I need something to keep me awake during the day.

As the cafeteria is close to Zoe's room, I take the opportunity to try to hear something from the door, but I hear nothing. I get scared when I see the doorknob turning, as there is no reason to worry about it, as Zoe is very competent and would not put just anyone to work with us. So, it would be really embarrassing if she saw me spying on her.

I didn't even have time to think about getting out of there, because the next thing I knew, the door had already been opened and a woman bumped into me. Because I'm quite tall, she comes face to face with my chest.

When she finally lifts her head, I can't believe what I see, I could imagine everything, except that the woman from last night, the same one I saw at the bar, who disturbed my night of pleasure and invaded my dreams, is here right in my front.

I could pretend I didn't know her, but that would be stupid of me. I cleared my throat, composing myself.

"There's nothing to worry about, miss. These things happen." I force a smile, given the situation, because I am as disconcerted as she is.

"Yeah... It always happens to me, I'm very clumsy." she mumbles embarrassedly, making me want to laugh, but I restrain myself.

"As I said, there's no need to worry. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go, miss." I hurry to get out of there.

Yes, I ran away, because if I stayed there for another second, I could have ruined everything.

On the way to the car, I realize that my hands are sweating.

“What the f**k? Since when do you get embarrassed in front of a woman, Collin?”

I step firmly on the accelerator and hurry to the airport.

(...)

"What took you so long, man? I was about to take a taxi...", Jason is visibly irritated.

"Sorry, I ended up getting tangled up with some things at the company. But I'm here, aren't I?" I would never say what really happened. Knowing Jason as I do, it would be a topic for the entire month and he would certainly think nonsense.

"Whatever!" he snorts and opens my car door.

I finish putting his suitcase in the trunk and get into the vehicle too.

"So, what's the news? Was the trip beneficial?", I ask him as I drive.

"Wow! It was awesome", he smiles broadly, "I was in a nightclub there in Italy and I was interested in some of the dancers there, I tried to do business with the owner, but he wants to visit Queenz first, to make sure he is doing a good deal.”

I listen carefully to his words without taking my eyes off the road.

“He’s not wrong, it shows that he really is a serious man.”

"Now enough talking about me... What's going on? And don't even say there's nothing, because I know you well enough to know there's something wrong."

I run my tongue over my lips, feeling a little nervous.

I'm convinced that my mind has gone astray, but talking about the reason for that with him would be the same as making him plant caramels in his head.

I need to get this intriguing woman out of my mind.

"You're seeing something you don't see, Jason." I keep my voice firm in order to make him believe me.

"You know this isn't going to work, right? The subject must be women, to make you look like that ass."

"Stop nonsense, man. Do you really think that, if there was something, I wouldn't tell you?", I quickly take my eyes off the road, looking at him so that he has no doubt that I'm telling the truth.

"I don't know... You tell me!", he raises his left hand, pointing at me and arching his eyebrows.

I click my tongue, impatient.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

"Okay, I won't insist. When you want to talk, I'll be here. You know that, right, sweetie?", Jason blows a kiss towards me and I roll my eyes.

It's always like that with him. But I can't complain, I like his style. Jason is more playful, I'm more closed off. I believe that this difference makes our friendship as spectacular as it is.

“Are you going to stay at home or at the club?”

"At the club. I need to take care of some things, since we're not open these days." I nod my head in agreement and drive there.

(...)

I dropped Jason off at Queenz, then headed back to Campbell Technology.

I'm in my office, and every now and then, my thoughts go to the woman at the bar. The same one I bumped into this morning, this is already getting serious. I have a lot to think about, I can't afford to think about a woman I don't even know.

The sound of knocking on the door makes me wake up.

"Between." then the door is opened.

"Sir, can we talk? I was waiting for you to arrive." Zoe approaches my table.

"Sure. Sit down." I point to the chair in front of my desk.

She does.

"So, how were the interviews? Were the candidates good?" I ask him as I tap my pen on the table.

I hear a certain expectation in my voice, but it is certainly related to the concern to have this situation resolved as soon as possible.

"Well, they are all wonderful. Most of them did very well in the interview, however, I have to be honest in saying only two of them stood out." She purses her lips, seeming to be afraid.

“Who would they be?” I raise my eyebrows.

Zoe places two papers on the table, two resumes to be more specific. Both have photos of the candidates. I swallow hard as I look at the image of that woman.

“My preference remains the one I mentioned previously, but the final decision is yours.”

This couldn't get any worse. Or could it? I don't want to choose that woman to work with us, as I would have to live with her daily. However, I cannot deny her capabilities, she is very capable. The other candidate is also not far behind, however, the woman who has been disturbing my mind has something else on her resume.

I'm at a dead end.