“Tyler, right?” Kellan asked.
“Yes, Mr. Hawke.”
Tyler was a mix, half black half white, and one of the most enchanting men I could think of… like this wasn’t enough he had the biggest heart, I could feel it with his passion about the suggestion.
“This project… we’re focusing on this. If we can’t fix something close to us, we can’t make a change outside. Great work, Tyler. You’re the head of this project. Everyone, help Tyler, make those children have the best. But… I want you to work your own suggestions as well. Every idea you made today was great and we will do everything in our power to make those happen. Now… get to work, everyone! You have fifteen days to show me this childcare project,” Kellan said and turned to leave the conference room. Everyone grabbed their snack plates and drinks since the lunch time passed. I grabbed Kellan’s and mine before following him to his office.
“We didn’t eat anything,” I murmured as I put his plate on his desk.
“Thanks,” he looked surprised and amused at the same time.
I was planning on going back to my office when he said, “Have a seat.”
Being in his presence was heating up my whole body, I couldn’t help but remember how amazing he made me feel that night. Working with him also meant that I was about to know him better and with each passing second he fascinated me more. I wanted to stay away, hide in my office, but instead I did as I was told.
“Tell me about yourself,” he said out of the blue.
“Umm… I’m twenty-three,” I started, but he shook his head, “I don’t want the things I’ve read in your file. Tell me why you chose to be an architect?”
Taking a sip from my orange juice, I thought of my answer, “It was always my dream. I haven’t thought of having another career but being an architect. I think because of my father. He always brought me model buildings to build when I was a kid instead of bringing me dolls,” I smiled fondly at the memory.
“Sounds like a good father,” he murmured.
“He was…”
“Was?” Kellan frowned.
“Yeah… he passed away seven years ago. A brain aneurism… it was so sudden,” my voice cracked at the end.
“I’m sorry.” He sh
ocked me by touching my hand, slowly drawing circles on the back of my hand. I just smiled at him.
“What do you do in your free time?” Kellan smirked at me, changing the subject.
“I’m a volunteer in a shelter. We provide dinner for homeless people, every night two volunteers from the shelter are responsible of that. Twice a month at least I try to be there. Also, I read. My best friend is an editor and sometimes she needs a second pair of eyes to decide which book should be published. I’m not an interesting person.”
“A helpful nature, hmm? How noble…” Kellan winked at me.
“Not noble at all… just the things I love to do,” I shrugged before asking him, “What about you? What does successful young CEO do in his free time?”
“Successful, young, handsome, and sexy as hell, you meant?” he quirked an eyebrow. I started to like his cocky playful attitude.
Giggling, “Yeah, whatever,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“I paint.”
He painted? I wanted to see his art, like his paintings could give me an idea who this man was. But I stopped myself from asking that, instead I giggled, “C’mon, is that all? Don’t you have some weird expensive hobbies?”
“I don’t have a Red Room of Pain if you’re curious about that,” his cocky grin found its way onto his face again, but he continued before I could reply, “I don’t know if it’s weird, but I have a thing for special, limited edition things...”
“Like your car?”
“Yeah… like my car,” he nodded, licking his bottom lip, eyes blazing, causing me to blush without reason. I bit my sandwich as an excuse to look away from him and was relieved when he changed the subject, “So you’re living with your best friend?”
The rest of the evening we did nothing but talk to each other about everything and nothing in particular. He was really fun to be around. His passion for architecture was undeniably obvious, but not only for architecture, he was passionate about everything in his life –his work, his hobbies.
When he noticed the time, I’d already forgotten that he was my boss and I was his employee. I was back to that night, we were just a man and a woman again. This was dangerous.