A/N: Hello! Katie gets nasty in the next one, so this is just the build up to that. It may seem a little off topic, but it's mainly just a filler. I am going away for a few days, so the next chapter may be a little longer. Sorry!
-6 months later
Katie glanced down at the ringing mobile on her way to her meeting. Annabeth was flashing up on the screen, accompanied with the goofy photo of Annabeth at Katie's 20t birthday party last month.
"Hello." Katie said down the phone, still trying to push her way onto the subway.
"Hey Katie," Annabeth sounded nervous, "Where are you now exactly?"
"Just getting onto the subway, I might lose you." Katie got into a carriage seconds before the doors hissed shut. Gratefully, Katie sat down on the only free seat left and took the weight off her heeled feet.
"So you haven't bought today's paper?" Annabeth asked hesitantly.
"No." Katie said, a frown forming on her face. There was a relieved sigh on the other end of the phone.
"It's just we already bought it." Annabeth explained. Katie doubted that very much, but couldn't say this since the phone disconnected. Typically, she'd lost the signal on it now.
A minute later, they shuddered to a halt at the next platform. A pregnant woman shuffled slowly into the carriage and took a quick look around, before settling her glare onto Katie. It was obvious she wanted Katie's seat. Huffing, Katie grabbed her back and got to her feet, gesturing for the woman to sit.
"So polite." The woman said in a smarmy voice, before waddling past Katie and into the seat. Katie said nothing about the alcohol she could smell on the woman's breath. Some people just didn't deserve children, she thought.
You and Travis would've made great parents. The voice in the back of her head surfaced for the first time since Katie had found the hotel building being renovated. Defiantly, Katie shook her head and pressed her hand to her temple. Every sound suddenly seemed amplified, and a cold sweat took over Katie's body even though the carriage was boiling.
"Are you okay, Miss?" A man said next to her. He gently put a hand on her elbow.
"I'm fine, I have a meeting. I really can't afford to be ill." Katie assured him, although the pounding in her head didn't subside. Katie looked up at the man, whose blue eyes were gazing at her intently. He looked confused, like he was missing something. Quickly analysing him, Katie figured he was in his early twenties, and, judging by the tan and blonde hair, spent a lot of time outside.
"In the Baxter Building?" The man asked.
"Yeah, I have to meet some representatives and sell my soul to get funding for the only thing I love." Katie grinned.
"That's... interesting." The man smiled slowly and nodded.
"Which is why I can't be ill, who's going to invest money into a mess?" Katie joked. The man's smile widened.
"You clearly seem capable, I'd invest money in you." The man winked, his eyes shined. Now Katie felt like she was the one missing something. She was relieved when the doors pinged open onto her stop.
"Thanks, but this is me. Nice talking to you." Katie rushed out the doors, without looking back. It was only when she reached the escalator did she realise that her headache had gone and she felt purely alive again.
"Good morning, how can I help you?" The receptionist smiled.
"I have a meeting on the 23rd floor." Katie said, glancing around the building as the receptionist began typing rapidly.
"Name?"
"Katie Gardner." Katie said without thinking. The building was really something, now she'd seen the inside Katie could possibly tolerate the ugly exterior. Although no one knew what the top five floors were used for, no one had been up there, and there were some interesting rumours.
"Here's a guest pass, make sure it's visible at all times." A roughly laminated card was slammed onto the counter, Katie clipped it to the top of her skirt.
"Please do not wander around the building, the lift will not grant you access to any floor above the 29th, have a good day." And, just like that, Katie was dismissed. Katie walked past the reception, scanned her guest pass at the lifts and stepped in. The doors stayed open for half a moment, before Katie was being smoothly swept to the 23rd floor. She'd struggled to get a taxi, and had barely arrived five minutes before her meeting. Katie turned to the mirror and adjusted the barrette holding back her hair, it was curled slightly. Her make up was minimal, just enough to stop her looking tired and some mascara, so her eyes looked bigger. Katie turned back to the doors, just as they picked open and revealed a modern looking waiting room. Slowly, Katie stepped out into the room and sat on the edge of a brown, leather arm chair. A small, slim woman came out of the meeting room, holding a Filofax with more sticky labels hanging off it than pages.
"The board will see you now." She said stiffly, and held the door open for Katie. Confidently, Katie walked past her and into the boardroom.
Several old men in suits were situated around a large, wooden table. At the end of the table, sat the blonde man Katie had spoken to on the subway earlier. Her mouth dropped open, but she quickly recovered and began to act more like the professional she was. Katie began her plea for funding, smiling and begging accordingly, all the while trying to avoid the constant gaze of the smirking blonde man. It was only when she finished that she finally met his eye.
"How can we prove your commitment to this project?" One of the old men posed, he leaned forward. Something about this guy radiated spite, and Katie stared into his cold eyes, unable to form words.
"I can defend her here actually. I saw Miss Gardner on the subway this morning, she was obviously quite ill, yet when I inquired into her health, she told me she couldn't afford to go home ill since she had a very important meeting to attend. I pushed the matter further, no young woman could possibly attend a meeting in her position, however, Miss Gardner stood resolute and said this was the only thing she loved so she had to go. I believe she's committed." The blonde man sat back in his chair and grinned at Katie.
"If you say so then Phillip." The old man relented. So he had a name, Phillip.
"Your company will receive funding for your project, we hope to see positive results."
Katie nodded her head and smiled.
"Thank you all very much, I assure you, there will be no disappointment." Katie took the grunts of agreement as her cue to leave, and quickly hurried out the door. Katie pushed her knuckle into the lift button, the doors pinged open.
"Hey! Hold the lift." Phillip speed walked into the lift and grinned down at Katie.
"Thanks for backing me up in there." Katie smiled. Phillip shrugged.
"It wasn't problem. Call me Flip by the way." Flip held out his newspaper.
"Have you seen this? This guy just opened a hotel and half of Hollywood is already queueing up to stay there." Katie froze as she recognized Travis in the picture, stood in front of his hotel, one arm draped across Drew.
"It says here, 'Travis Stoll had financial aid from his fiance's father, but he and his identical twin, Connor expect to be able to pay him back by the end of the financial year." Flip read out.
"That's his fiance in the photo?" Katie asked uncertainly. Flip nodded.
"Her name is Drew apparently, her father is the founder of Tanaka Co." Flip explained. Katie forced a natural looking smile on her face and looked up at Flip.
"Do they have a restaurant there?" She asked, batting her eyelashes at him. Flip briefly turned back to the article and scanned through it.
"Well yes, they do." He turned back to Katie.
"Well, how about you make a dinner reservation for 8, and we'll go to see what all the fuss is about." Katie raised an eyebrow in response to Flip's smirk.
"Are you asking me out on a date, Miss Gardner?"
The lift doors opened and the two of them stepped out into the lobby.
"Well hello!" A male voice shouted. "Who's the gorgeous girl Flip?"
"Back off Storm, she's all mine!" Flip didn't even look up to shout back. Katie raised her other eyebrow.
"Was that you agreeing to dinner?" Flip smiled gently, and for the first time Katie felt guilty about her ulterior motive.
"I do believe it was."
