Running From Destiny Read online

  “Good, yes and no.” There. I've answered all of her questions.

  “So, spill! What’s happening in Miami?” She’s still at it. Geez.

  “Miami, is....Miami. It was a fashion show and drinks. Nothing much else to tell, Sally. What about your weekend?” I ask, though I really don’t care. I know she is going to tell me anyway, so I pretend to be interested.

  “Oh, just clubbing with the girls. Woke up with a massive hangover Sunday morning, but I’m over it now. Ready to rinse and repeat this weekend. You wanna go?”

  “Nah, I don’t get into the club scene anymore. Hey, sorry to cut this short but I have a meeting with Tim. See ya around!” I tell her as I make a quick exit from the kitchen. If I don’t end it now, I will never make it to my meeting in time. Since I was out Friday, I have work to catch up on and now this meeting. Argh, it’s going to be a long day. I head back to my desk to grab a legal pad and pen and head around the corner to Tim’s office.

  I gently knock on the door and he looks up from his computer. He’s on the phone, but he motions me in, pointing at the leather office chair across from his desk. I sit and wait for him to finish his call. It sounds important, but I try not to eavesdrop which is hard to do when he is sitting in front of you. So, I look around his office at the various awards and paintings on the wall.

  He finally hangs up and closes whatever program he is using on his computer.

  “Okay.” He begins speaking. “We have the opportunity to bid on a new project. It’s not our typical build-out and design, but it is a great way to expand our services. It’s for some Class A office space in Midtown. Currently, there is a waiting/reception area and four offices plus a dark room and photo studio. Though, we will have to send those two rooms to Carson Technologies.”

  I am jotting all of this down, if only to look like I know what I am doing. Frankly, I have no idea why I’m here as I’m just an admin, not a designer. Maybe he is finally giving me......nah, I doubt it. “I need for you to go with me to the office to take measurements and discuss options and ideas with the CEO. He has a general idea of what he wants, but we need to view it and then draw up a proposal.”

  “Sounds great, but shouldn’t this be directed to the design team? Don’t get me wrong, Tim, I’m excited to be included and ready to take on something like this. But, it sounds like an important proposal, wouldn’t you want someone more experienced?” I ask. He scratches his head a minute, as if he is pondering on how to answer.

  “I like you and it’s time to see if we can put your degree to work. You have more than proven yourself and you are dedicated and smart. Someone from the design team will be with us to assist, but I’d like to see what kind of ideas you can come up with. Think of it as a job interview. We have a PM position coming open soon, and I want to see what you’ve got.”

  My heart drops into my shoes. “Really? Thanks! That’s awesome. Yes, I’ll go with you. I won’t let you down, Tim.” I respond enthusiastically. Maybe too enthusiastically, but I am surprised at this major turn of events.

  “Good. Our appointment is at two o’clock. Finish up what you were working on Thursday and get those spread sheets to me as soon as possible. Then we’ll head over together after lunch.”

  I stand up and nod, turning to head to the door. “Thanks Tim.” I toss at him with a smile. He just nods and turns his attention back to his computer and I make my way back to my desk, setting my coffee down and flopping heavily on my small office chair.

  I log into Excel and pull up the spread sheet I was working on prior to my vacation day. Number crunching is not my specialty, but I have become good at it in the 3 years I have been working for Tim. He puts a lot on me, but like a sponge, I absorb it all and take it all with me.

  The morning passes pretty quickly and before I know it, its lunch time. I typically don’t leave the building for lunch, I just grab something from the vending machine and sit in the kitchen and stare at the television. Ellen is on today and I love her, but for some reason I am just not paying that much attention. For the first time today, my mind goes to Jackson Bentley. I suddenly wonder what he’s doing, where he is and if he’s thinking about me at all. Why am I thinking this? I have no idea, but I am. I did my best to turn my brain off last night and rest up before coming back to work. I did well, but now it is all coming back to me.

  His eyes, his strong jaw, his hard body that I only felt briefly when I tried to push him away. I’m still at a loss as to why he set his sights on me anyway, but it is what it is. I think back to dinner and the limo ride and his damn bossiness. “What are you smiling about, Ally?” I hear Sally coming up beside me, not even realizing I was smiling. Great.

  “Nothing much, just have a big meeting with Tim and some CEO wanting his offices remodeled. I actually get to go with him to the proposal meeting. Just excited I guess.” I respond. No way will I tell her about The Suit, not unless I want it around the office within minutes.

  “Great! That sounds awesome! I’m sure you’ll do well, even though you’ve never done anything like this before.” She says with an evil eye. Leave it to Sally to squash my fun.

  “Yeah, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to see what I can do. It is what I studied for in college, you know.” I know, sarcasm will get you nowhere, but Sally brings the worst out in me.

  As I said earlier, she’s the lead car on the gossip train around here. I dare not let on to anything more than a meeting. She is also a back stabber. She will do whatever she can to get ahead of everyone else. I sometimes wonder if she slept with her boss, since she moved up the ranks pretty quickly. She started in the mail room and within a year she was named Ed McKinley’s assistant. Ed is the CFO of Robertson Industries. THE BOSS. My boss’s boss. So naturally, she thinks she’s hot shit. Shit maybe, but not hot. Not even close.

  I gather my cracker and candy bar wrappers that make up my lunch and deposit them in the trash can. No lunch is complete without chocolate. “Have a good day, Sally!” I wave as I exit the kitchen. Damn she gets on my nerves.

  I get back to my desk and Tim is waiting for me. “Good, glad you’re back. Meeting has been moved to one thirty, so we need to roll.” He says with excitement in his eyes. He almost looks like he is up to something, but I ignore it and grab my briefcase and purse and we head to the elevator and down to the parking garage to Tim’s Mercedes. I’ve never been in a Mercedes, but I’ve been in a Bentley limo. I laugh inside. A Bentley is a huge step up from a Mercedes, but I don’t say anything. No one else needs to know, especially Tim. He opens the trunk and we place our briefcases in and he closes the door, then moves to open the passenger door for me. Who says chivalry is dead, huh? He closes my door and makes his way around the car to his side, getting in and starting the engine.

  He doesn’t set an address in his GPS. He lives and works downtown, so I assume he knows where we are going. The office isn’t far, in fact we could have walked it’s so close. We pull into the parking garage of what looks to me thirty stories or more. Glass and shiny.

  After our briefcases are retrieved from the trunk, we head into the lobby. Sleek marble floors, trendy furniture and lots of plants. Damn, there’s even a water fountain in the middle. Sweet.

  Tim checks in at reception and then we are required to sign in and given a visitor’s pass. We are directed to the elevators and told to go to the top floor. As we ride up the elevator, Tim discusses his ideas and expresses his excitement and I wonder why he is so excited. The doors open and Valerie from the design team is already there, waiting in one of the high back leather chairs. Whoa.

  I look around. This place is top of the line. Leather chairs, Maple reception desk, windows and plants. All soft beige and browns. Frankly, I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m now confused as to why any changes need to be made to this room, but I’ll go in with an open mind.

  A few minutes later a tall, slim blonde woman opens the door and calls us back.

  I suddenly feel extremely self-conscious, which is not
unusual for me. I look nice, but nothing like that. I wore my navy pencil skirt, a cream ruffled blouse and navy pumps. It’s professional enough, but I feel frumpy next to the blonde goddess walking us back. I even see Tim sneak a peek at her ass. Smirking, I say nothing. Men. Do they not realize how obvious they can be? Blondie knocks on a solid maple door that looks like it should be the front door of one of those Buckhead mansions. Thick, heavy and a deep, rich color.

  “Come in.” I hear from the other side.

  She opens the door. “Sir, Tim Fraker and his team are here to see you.” She whispers as she peers around the barely opened door.

  “Send them in.” And she steps back, motioning for us to enter the room. She pulls the door closed as she leaves. Wow. I know, I have such a broad vocabulary. But that is the only word I can think of.

  Rich, thick brown carpet, maple desk and credenza full of books and magazines. It’s a corner office with glass on two sides. Framed magazine covers and awards decorate the walls. Hold on a second.

  The CEO turns in his chair and stands.

  Wait for it.

  Shit.

  Jackson Bentley.

  My heart drops to my stomach and rolls around like a bulldog fighting to get out from under a blanket. My neck heats and I feel that unwelcome rosy blush creep up my body. I stand back, hoping he won’t notice me, but I get the feeling.

  Tim proceeds forward and shakes his hand. “Mr. Bentley, thank you for seeing us and for this opportunity. We look forward to working with you.”

  “Thank you, Tim. Thanks for coming on such short notice. Have a seat.” Jackson motions for us to sit. “Mr. Bentley, this is Valerie Tisdale from our Design team and Ally,” Jackson cuts him off.

  “Sanders. Pleased to see you again, Alexandra.” He takes my hand and gently brushes his thumb across my knuckles. He lets it go and shakes hands with Valerie. “Nice to meet you Valerie. Please, have a seat.” He motions again to the three leather chairs in front of his desk.

  I’m sweating and shaking. Tim looks at me with surprise in his eyes, but thankfully he says nothing. We sit. And wait. Jackson is shoving papers around on his desk and closing out programs on his computer. I look at Tim and he is still looking at me, with a “what did you do?”look in his eyes.

  I just shrug my shoulders and look back toward The Suit. How am I going to explain this? And, how did Jackson even know where I work? I start mentally going over every conversation we had. Nope, I never told him. I specifically never told him. But then again, I didn’t tell him where I live either.

  And then it comes to me.

  Heather. That fucking bitch.

  I am so going to kill her. For real this time. She has stepped over the line one too many times and I’ve had enough. She better hope she isn’t at my apartment when I get there.

  The meeting goes on finally and Tim and Valerie lead the way. At this point, I am just an observer and a note taker. That’s what admin assistants do right? I’m writing and my eyes are rapidly going back and forth between Tim and Valerie, trying not to look at The Suit, cause something inside tells me I will be making a huge mistake if I do.

  But I feel him looking at me. I ignore the feeling I have suddenly been put on the spot, when Tim nudges my arm. “Ally, what do you think?”

  Uh oh. Damn brain has shut off again.

  “Sounds good.” I say after scanning my notes. “We just need to get some measurements. We can then create a template with the specifications. When we return, we’ll bring fabric and wood samples that we think will most closely match the look you described and then you can have the final decision.” I finish on an exhale of a breath that I had apparently been holding for quite some time.

  “Very well. I look forward to your proposal. I need it by the end of the week, can you handle that?” Jackson asks Tim.

  “Yes, sir. I will be in touch Thursday afternoon.” Tim stands, reaching for Jackson’s hand.

  “Mindy will take you around to the rooms and allow you space to take your measurements.” He says as he stands as well, while pressing the intercom button. “Mindy, please escort Mr. Fraker and Ms. Tisdale to the larger offices in the back corner.”

  “Yes sir.” Mindy responds.

  I’m so flustered by this point it’s all I can do not to run for the door. I stand and start making my way toward the exit, and then realize he didn’t request that she escort me as well. A sinking feeling settles in my gut and my neck gets hot and itchy. No, no...No, not a panic attack. Not now and certainly not here.

  “Ms. Sanders, may I have a word with you?” Jackson asks before I make it to the door.

  I stop, but don’t turn around. I look up at Tim who is standing next to me and obviously stunned that Mr. Bentley has asked for me. I look at Tim for guidance, and he just nods his head in approval.

  Shit. Thanks Tim.

  “Ummm, sure.” I respond, turning back toward his desk. But he’s no longer behind his desk. He is stalking toward me.

  He is wearing a dark suit. Grey I think, with subtle pin stripes. His tie is a deep maroon and white shirt. His suit jacket is hanging on a coat rack by the door. He grabs it as he approaches.

  “Come with me, Ms. Sanders.” He puts his hands to the small of my back and leads me out of the office, leaving Tim and Valerie standing there with their mouths open. I look back as he drags me along, an Oh Shit look on my face, no doubt.

  Jackson stops and turns back around. “Mr. Fraker, I will have her back at the office shortly. I have something I want to show her and get her opinion on.” And he turns back, not allowing Tim to answer.

  I look back again, this time with a ‘Help Me’ look on my face, but Tim doesn’t do anything. He just nods in agreement looking like a deer caught in headlights, and Valerie just stands there smiling. I know she was affected by Mr. Bentley’s charming methods, because the look on her face says so. Valerie is beautiful with long, thick curly red hair, fair skin and a body to die for. She does that Zumba stuff and kick boxes, and I wouldn’t want to meet her in a dark alley. So with her standing here in Mr. Bentley’s office, why is he dragging me away?

  As we exit the lobby, we pass Mindy heading back to escort Valerie and Tim to the area we will be working on. “I will be out of the office for a while. Take messages or have them send email.” He tells her.

  “Of course, Sir.”

  She calls him Sir. Well, I guess that is the respectful thing to call your boss.

  We enter the elevator and he presses the G, for ground level I guess. The doors shut and suddenly I can’t breathe. It’s like the oxygen has been sucked out of the elevator. I’m not typically claustrophobic, but hey......things change. “Breathe, Alexandra.” Jackson says in my ear. A little too close for comfort, I might add. Why is he so close? He takes a deep breath himself. “Mmmm. I must get you more of that shampoo. It smells divine.”

  Divine? Really? Who talks like that?

  Apparently Jackson Bentley, also known as The Suit, does.

  Before I know it, he’ is on me. He’s in my personal space, fingers on my chin again. But this time he lifts my face to his. His thumb brushes across my bottom lip and he looks deeply into my eyes, then flicks his eyes back to my lips as his tongue strokes along his bottom lip.

  Then he slants his lips and presses them against mine.

  Whoa.

  His lips are soft but firm. His tongue begging for entrance. He licks along the seam of my lips, but I don’t open. I can’t. I place my hands against his chest to push him off, but as my palms land on his pecs I realize I’m in big trouble. No, I’m not. I am stronger than this.

  I push him back away from me. You hear about that surge of adrenaline when you are suddenly submerged in an emergency situation. I thought it was an old wives tail. But no, I found out the hard way.

  I don’t know where the strength comes from, but I manage to push him so hard his back hits the elevator door. “Alexandra....” He whispers.

  “No!” That is all I can say.
>
  “I see it in your eyes, Ally. You want this as much as I do. Why fight it?” He whispers.

  “I thought I went over this on the plane. You breeze into my life and try to take it over. You....” I pause. “You and I are from different worlds. I’ll work on your remodel, because it’s my job, but that’s it. No more dinners, no more limo rides. And NO MORE KISSES!”

  He smirks. Geez. He doesn’t know when to stop.

  “Sure. Cause that’s what we both want, right Ally?”

  The doors finally open and apparently G is for garage. He ushers me out the door and toward a sleek black car. I don’t even know what kind it is, but I’m not getting in it.

  “Get in.” He tells me.

  “No, Mr. Bentley. I am not getting in the car with you. I have to get back to the office and I turn on my heel toward the exit.

  “Alexandra, stop. Get in the car, I’ll take you back to the office.” He says.

  “No, I’ll walk, thank you. This meeting is over. Goodbye, Mr. Bentley.”

  And I walk. My heels clicking on the pavement, echoing through the parking garage. As I approach the ramp out of the garage, I hear tires squealing and a car approaching. Shit. I was hoping to get out of here before he caught up with me.

  Yeah right, like I was walking that fast in these damn shoes. The one day I decide to wear heels, I find myself walking through the city to get back to my office. I speed up, almost to a sprint and stop dead in my tracks.

  Ever watched a horror movie and the bad guy is going after the girl in high heels, who can’t run and always falls and twists her ankle?

  Yeah, she dies.

  That won’t be me. I take my shoes off, so now I’m holding my purse, briefcase and a pair of high heel shoes. I must look like... well, I don’t know and I don’t care at this point.

  So, that old story about me only running when chased? Well, I’m being chased now, so my shoes are off, brief case is over my shoulder along with my purse, and my chubby ass is running. I’m sure people on the street are totally laughing at this point, but I don’t care. All I want to do is get out of here and back to the office, away from The Suit.