Tris:
"Tris hurry up!"
I fixed my pencil skirt and scooped up my notes as I grabbed a ball-point pen from my desk. Christina waved her hand towards herself anxiously and we stumbled into the meeting room together. "It's these damn heels," I hissed, as I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.
"How nice of you to join us," said my boss in a sarcastic tone. "Please, pull up a chair."
Peter Hayes. The most self-centered, arrogant, know-it-all man I've ever met.
And leave it to him to be my boss. "Listen up," he said, as Christina and I sat down in the back next to Will. "The fall festival is coming up. This year we will be raising money for families in need of healthcare, food supply, stuff like that. By the end of next month, we will be responsible for raising $700,000. It needs to be tasteful!" Peter looked around the room pointedly.
There were a few snickers around the room and Peter's head darted to the right-side of the room. "Do you have something to say Robert?"
The room grew quiet and Robert, our office comedian, shook his head and looked back at his notepad. Someone cleared his throat awkwardly. The way Peter spoke brought me back to the way teachers would speak in high school.
"Good, that's what I thought," Peter said. He glanced back to his notepad, then back to us. "What I'm handing you out now is a list of the banquet and auction on Friday night which all the representatives for the companies sponsoring the fall festival will attend."
He handed a list to the first person in each row and Christina told me about the salmon-chive dip she was making for her tapas party. I fixed my blouse and glanced over the paper, then back at Peter. His hands gripped his podium and he pressed his lips together. "He wasn't supposed to come for another three days. Send him to my office." Peter looked back at all of us, "Everyone back to work."
We scuttered out of the room chatting. Christina walked off with Will to her cubicle and I went down to the receptionist's office to grab a salad from the company's cafe.
"Hello," a man said in a very formal voice, "I am here to see Mister Hayes."
"Ah yes," Johanna, the receptionist said. "You must be Mr. Eaton. Right this way."
"Excellent," the man said.
I turned the corner and walked down the hall, bumping into a firm chest.
"Excuse me," a younger voice said. I looked up and saw a man around my age steady me before I could fall.
"My bad," I squeaked, as I took in his features. He smirked at me, but his face grew into a fine line when Mr. Eaton called for him. "Tobias," the older man said, "Come, come."
I looked back to see a good-looking gentleman take his sunglasses off his forehead. His crisp white linen shirt was a contrast to the jet black slacks he was wearing and his short hair was growing a few greys here and there. He looked distraught at Tobias.
I bit my lip and walked off, not looking back.
A few minutes later, I walked back to the elevator with my sandwich in hand. I fumbled for the button and pressed it. The elevator dinged and the doors opened.
"Excellent," I heard Mr. Eaton say, "Tobias will be in here tomorrow to begin planning for the festival."
I stepped out of the way. Peter's voice was evident as they made some small talk. The Eatons walked off and Peter saw me as I stepped onto the elevator with him.
"What are you doing?" he asked pointedly.
"Just taking a lunch break," I said with a tight smile.
He squinted at me for a minute before shaking the thought off. "I'd like you to show Tobias around tomorrow."
"Me?" I asked, "why me?"
"You're good with customers," Peter said, in a husky voice. He stared me down and was beginning to inch closer and closer to me until the elevator dinged and we came to a stop.
"Well," I said nervously, "I better get back to work."
I didn't look back at Peter.
My breathing was heavy even as I walked back to my cubicle. I couldn't concentrate on any work, and by the end of the day I needed a drink.
"Christina," I said tiredly. "I'm getting a drink at that place on Fifth Avenue. You in?"
She grinned as she shrugged on her pea coat and grabbed her purse. "After that budget meeting I just got out of? Hell yes."
'Scenario' by A Tribe Called Quest is played so loud Will would say it 'broke the sound barrier' as Christina and I walked in. I slammed a twenty on the counter and ordered a wine. Christina, being herself, ordered a margarita. She spotted some of our friends from college and took off her coat to dance.
I glanced back at my phone and liked Calum Hood's latest tweet and a few pictures on Instagram from some college friends' honeymoon. The Caribbean sounded so good right then. I sipped a bit of my wine and began to unwind a little. I unbuttoned a button on my blouse and wished I weren't wearing such plain heels. The Louis Vuittons I saved up for last year sound so much more...fun.
Across from me, I heard a bartender shout, "Hey, Tobi! How's the club business going?"
A very masculine voice laughed, "Good, but not as much fun as I had in Caracas last year!"
Laughter followed.
I felt awkward. I look to the right and sure enough, Tobias is there. A very slutty girl is popping his buttons off like they're corks on a bottle of wine and he just sits there smirking.
His smirk gets me every single time. I feel agitated so I take another sip of wine and look away.
But before I do, Tobias' eyes meet mine. He shoves the other girl off him. "Maybe another night Rita," he told her.
"Why Tobias?" she teases. "You know when you say that, it turns me on." She pushed herself even closer to the young billionaire.
"I'm serious," he said, as his eyes turned cloudy for the first time.
She groaned and stomped off.
"You didn't have to do that," I blurted out. As soon as I said it, I wish I didn't.
He raised an eyebrow in my direction. "But then I wouldn't have had the chance to talk to you," he said in an alluring manner.
"I'm sorry, I have to go," I mumbled.
"But I don't even know your name."
"It doesn't matter."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" He slammed his glass down so hard liquor erupted from the glass violently. He seemed unaffected by it.
"You're just like all the other billionaires. You abuse the money and power, spending it on pointless vacations and clubs." In my defense, I was a little more than tipsy by that point.
"You don't know what the hell you're talking about!"
I stumbled out of my seat and grabbed my purse. Tobias grabbed my arm before I could leave. "You don't know anything about me!" he said. "Hell, you don't even know my name."
I took the tabloid some woman on the other side of me was reading and read aloud, "'Tobias Eaton, young billionaire with twelve mistresses and counting.' Shall I continue?"
He rips the article out of my hand, but I speak before he can. "See you tomorrow, Tobias. Hopefully you'll be on time." I smirk and walk out, trusting Christina to find her own ride home.
A/N - Please read!
I've never done anything like this ever...lol. Let me know what you guys think. I really like it so far:) I'm going to try and update (at least) once a week. (Although, I'm on Summer Vaca and the pool is veryyy tempting) The chapters may seem like they're going at a really fast pace and stuff, but I have the plot written out (unlike my other stories) and if I stick to it, this will be a very successful fanfiction!
Have a great day and thanks for reading,
Lola